Neil Young's Facebook and Instagram Pages Go Silent to Protest

If you’ve been relying on Neil Young’s official Facebook or Instagram presences to stay abreast of the rock mainstay’s activities, you might need to find a new source for your information. As of August 14, Young’s presences on the social networks in question have called it a day, with the decision prompted by Facebook parent company Meta’s controversial AI chatbots.

“At Neil Young’s request, we are no longer using Facebook for any Neil Young related activities,” a message on Young’s official Facebook page declared. “Meta’s use of chatbots with children is unconscionable. Mr. Young does not want a further connection with FACEBOOK.” Young’s official Instagram page featured a similar message.

Earlier this year, a Wall Street Journal investigation showed Meta’s chatbots engaging in wildly inappropriate conversations with users identified as minors. Young’s announcement came in the wake of a blockbuster Reuters investigation that revealed the guidelines Meta used for its chatbots — including some that permitted inappropriate conversations with minors. (Meta told Reuters that it has since updated its policies to deem such interactions as unacceptable.)

In an analysis of Meta’s policies for Intelligencer, Josh Herrman pointed out that “Meta’s handling of young users has been controversial for nearly as long as the company has existed, tracking with broader concerns of the time.” This is also not the first time Young has taken umbrage to the company’s policies. As Stereogum’s Tom Breihan noted, he also protested Facebook over concerns about its politics.

A New Neil Young Archival Release Revisits His 1970s and 1980s Work

It includes music Young made with Devo, Nicolette Larson and Linda Ronstadt

Young has been willing to use his presence on tech platforms as a way of protesting those platforms’ decisions. He prominently left Spotify in 2022 over concerns over vaccine misinformation. He returned there last year, then pulled his music from the service again this year. Though in this case, he seems to be part of a larger movement.

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Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…